Foldable plate and cup rack

ABSTRACT

A foldable rack having a central stand with an elevated top shelf for stacked plates and two wings hinged to opposite sides of the base of the central stand, said wings having bottom platforms for supporting dishes on edge and outer elevated racks for hanging cups. The wings fold under the top shelf when not in use.

D 1 United States. Patent 11 1 1111 3,763,790 Taylor [4 Oct. 9, 1973 [54] FOLDABLE PLATE AND CUP RACK 3,261,307 7/1966 Salkoff 108/64 3,349,924 10/1967 Maurer et a1 [75] Invent 3,595,179 7/1971 Taylor 108/30 [73] Assignee: Rubbermaid Sales Corp., Wooster,

Ohio Primary ExaminerPaul R. Gilliam Assistant Examiner-Glenn O. Finch [221 Filed July 1972 Att0rney--Hamilton, Kenner & Kenner [2]] Appl. No.: 268,771

[57] I ABSTRACT [52] U.S. Cl 108/30, 108/64, 211/945 A foldable rack having a central stand with an ele- [5l] Int. Cl A47b 47/00 Vated top Shelf for stacked plates and two wings [58] Field of Search 108/26-30, 50,64; hinged to opposite sides of the base of the central 21 l/94, 41, 12 6; 312/384 Stand, said wings having bottom platforms for supporting dishes on edge and outer elevated racks for hang- [56] References Cited ing cups. The wings fold under the top shelf when not UNITED STATES PATENTS m 3,2ss,127 6/l966 Cushing .Q 211/41 6 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTED 9 SHEU 10F 3 PATENTEBUU 9191a" SHEE 2 0F 3 M Di PATENIED h 9 I973 m 3 [IF 3 FIG.4

FIG. 5

. I 1 FOLDABLE PLATE AND CUP RACK BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Certain prior racks for plates and cups have been circular and sometimes rotatable, and these result in wasting space when used on rectangular shelves in a cupboard. My prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,595,179 discloses a rectangular rack having a larger stand and a smaller stand at one side separately connected thereto with a pullout cup rack on the underside of the larger stand.

However, the smaller stand is likely to become misplaced and the pullout cup rack requires additional operating space because the cups hanging thereon are not accessible unless the rack is pulled out.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel folding plate and cup rack adapted to support plates and cups in an orderly and easily accessible arrangement.

Another object is to provide an improved central plate stand with at least one cup rack foldably connected thereto and normally at the side thereof.

A further object is to provide an improved central plate stand with two cup racks foldably connected to ple in the accompanying drawings, and described in detail herein. Various modifications and changes in details of construction are comprehended within the scope of the appended claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a preferred embodiment of the improved plate and cup rack with the two cup racks unfolded to extend from opposite sides of the central plate stand, the folded positions of the cup racks being shown in phantom lines.

FIG. 2 is a similar view, partly in section, showing plates and cups positioned thereon in phantom lines.

FIG. ,3 is a top plan view of the improved plate and cup rack in the full line position of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view on line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a partial plan sectional view on line 5-5 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The v improved rack comprises a central stand indicated generally at 10, preferably having a rectangular top shelf orplatform 11 and four corner legs 12 depending therefrom and diverging outwardly somewhat from each other. As indicated, the top shelf 11 has a downturned peripheral flange 13, and the legs 12 extend downwardly therefrom and are angular in cross section. The top shelf 11 is preferably recessed to provide shoulders 14 around its periphery to retain plates supported thereon. Ribsl5 are provided on the underside of shelf 11 for reinforcement.

At opposite sides of central stand 10 foldable wings are provided each having a base shelf or platform 16 and a cup rack 17 extending upwardly therefrom. Each base shelf 16 is foldably attached to two of the legs 12 of the central stand. As shown in FIGS. 4 and'..5, the hinge connections may comprise tongues 18 projecting from the sides of the base shelf through slots 20 in one flange 12a of the bottoms of the legs 12. A connecting strip 21 extends between the slots and is connected to the flanges 12a. The tongues 18 have laterally extending hinge pins 22 journaled in the other flanges 12b of the legs.

Each base shelf 16 is preferably concavely curved to facilitate holding curved dishes on edge and upwardly extending lateral ribs 23 may be provided for spacing the dishes. At the front and rear of the shelf are downturned flanges 24 from which the tongues 18 extend, and an upturned flange 25 extends laterally between the tongues.

The cup racks 17 preferably include legs 28 projecting upwardly from the outer corners of the base shelves 16. The cup racks preferably comprise lateral cross bars 29 connecting the upper ends of legs 28 and having a plurality of saddles or hangers 30 formed thereon on which to hang the handles of cups, as indicated in FIG. 2. The hangers preferably project angularly outward and upward from the bars. Four hangers are shown on each bar 29 but the number may be varied as desired. For reinforcement, the hangers 30 may be formed with upwardly projecting edge flanges 31, as best shown in FIG. 3.

The foldable wings comprising the base shelves 16 I and cup racks 17 are made of such dimensions that when they are not in use, as for example when being shipped, they can be folded inwardly to occupy the positons shown in phantom lines in FIG. 1, completely within and under the central stand. In such position there is no danger of the wings becoming lost or misplaced as they are always attached to the central stand.

The improved plate and cup rack is adapted to be molded in three parts from suitable semi-resilient plastic material such as medium impact styrene, and does not require any metal parts. The integral plastic hinge pins 22 are easily snapped into place, due to the resilience of the plastic material of flanges 12b.

The improved rack thus provides for orderly stacking of plates and storage of cups within a cupboard, thereby saving space and rendering the plates and cups readily accessible with reduced likelihood of breakage.

I claim:

1. A foldable plate and cup rack comprising a central plate stand having a top shelf and four corner legs, at least one side wing having a base shelf hinged to the bottoms of two adjacent corner legs, a cup rack projecting upwardly from the outer edge of said base shelf, said rack having at least one cup hanger extending angularly outward therefrom, and said side wing being of such dimensions as to fold completely within and under said central plate stand.

2. A foldable plate and cup rack as in claim 1, in which there are two side wings each hinged to the bottoms of two adjacent corner legs and having cup hangers projecting upwardly from the outer edges of the base shelves of the side wings.

formed on said cross bars.

5. A foldable plate and cup rack as in claim 3, in which the cup hanger projects angularly outward from said cross bar.

6. A foldable plate and cup rack as in claim 4, in which the cup hangers project angularly outward from said cross bars. 

1. A foldable plate and cup rack comprising a central plate stand having a top shelf and four corner legs, at least one side wing having a base shelf hinged to the bottoms of two adjacent corner legs, a cup rack projecting upwardly from the outer edge of said base shelf, said rack having at least one cup hanger extending angularly outward therefrom, and said side wing being of such dimensions as to fold completely within and under said central plate stand.
 2. A foldable plate and cup rack as in claim 1, in which there are two side wings each hinged to the bottoms of two adjacent corner legs and having cup hangers projecting upwardly from the outer edges of the base shelves of the side wings.
 3. A foldable plate and cup rack as in claim 1, in which legs project upwardly from the outer corners of the base shelf and are connected at their upper ends by a cross bar, and the cup hanger is formed on said cross bar.
 4. A foldable plate and cup rack as in claim 2, in which legs project upwardly from the outer corners of the base shelves of the side wings and are connected at their upper ends by a cross bar, and the cup hangers are formed on said cross bars.
 5. A foldable plate and cup rack as in claim 3, in which the cup hanger projects angularly outward from said cross bar.
 6. A foldable plate and cup rack as in claim 4, in which the cup hangers project angularly outward from said cross bars. 